The Wheel is Turning

[spidergawd]

Museums, galleries? Afraid not. After a visit to Cremers and Smokeys, then the sun coming out I just went for a stoney womble and had a great time finding secret courtyard gardens, as pictured. Also visited the Peace Palace, very sobering but also quite inspirational.
Thanks for the tune Ed, I'll have on my headphones 2mrw when I get back on the bike again.
Jess I'm just off back into town now and check out Dizzy duck, got myself a ov chipcard for the day.

Thanks for doing the pics FT. You a diamond.

[Black-King]

I have been wondering, how's that "grinder card" working? any good? can u recommend it?

Been thinking about buying one, much easier and more discrete to carry around than a big ass grinder..

Bless up and have fun! Enjoy the summer!

[Willjay]

It's looking like your off to a great start, love the tag team trip report (thanks ftcarer) looking forward to the rest of the adventure

[spidergawd]

just a quick update for now. Decided against moving each day, packing and riding with 50kg of baggage like i used to so I got a nice hotel in Delft at a good price for the next 3 days, and will do a couple of rides from here plus back to the ferry for homeward bound Monday afternoon.
Did a good round about route to here from Scheveningen I reckon 15 to 20kms so I'll have a ride round here and check out some CS action. Maybe.

[ftcarer]

[madmaxxx]

looks fun chap wish i was there,keep upthe good work,

[spidergawd]

so I did go into town Thursday night to dizzy duck but it's being refurbed and is like a building site but still doing buy and fly right inside the door. Very busy, got a grm of Queen Haze for energy for todays riding, worked pretty good. Didn't stay in the hague but decided to get my moneys worth on my. 6.50e day ticket so randomly came down to Delft on the No 1 tram to have a look then right back to the other terminus in Scheveningen and a walk along the promenade punctuated by a KFC stop. I know, but I am only doing easy stuff apart from the pedalling, then back to hotel to watch the shocking reality of the referendum. Enough said about that.
I hadn't really made a plan for the trip but decided that moving on each day was a bit excessive so got on the app about 2am, when I couldn't take anymore of Nigel Farage crowing and booked myself here at the Hampshire Delft Centre hotel. £194 = 3 nights with breakfast which is pretty good as they do nice hotels. So up this morning and did a nice roundabout ride to Delft. I stopped for breakfast at a snack shack in the park and the 2 old dudes in there were obviously discussing brexit, obvious without speaking Dutch. I kept schtum. Then back to biking, mostly a nice trip along some very scenic countryside and waterways even a puncture about half a mile from the hotel didn't bother me and I had it changed in about 5 mins. Impressed an old Dutch geezer sitting on a bench watching me while he rolled that evil Van Nelles shag, that I used to smoke back in the old time. So a good strange trip so far.
To be continued.

[spidergawd]

Those little cheese graters are ok Black king, but make your fingers sore if you use it too much. It was a freebie with an iolite vape.

[ftcarer]

right been asked to pass on a few words to as think spiders phone is playing up , so he enjoyed a 34kms roundtrip to Rotterdam today & is currently & deservedly enjoying the wares in the 2nd pic all good

[spidergawd]

Thanks mate, its my finger and my head playing up on this mini keyboard.
Arrived at my hotel yesterday around 2pm and am pleased with it and the location I can walk into the centre in 5 minutes and bike routes all around. Really nice town Delft, blue and white pottery and the painter Vermeer. A few tourists but not many this weekend I think a lot of coach parties on tours for the pottery works etc. It's quite a quaint little place, I like it.
So I pottered around for a while yesterday, dont get through a lot of weed so I had plenty to vape round the lovely town canals. Lots of them in residential areas are full of waterlillies in bloom and are very popular with the waterfowl. I would love to live on a street like that.
Later after food stuff, showarma kebab in an Egyptian cafe i fancied an hour in cremers. So tram into the hague and a nice relaxing time there with a G of Critical dynamite kush which did my muscles good and I slept like a log.
So to date I've done a couple of 25km rides and today I hit the road and headed south east to Rotterdam. 17kms each way on my scenic route, the fast one is shorter but parrallels the motorway, not pleasant, the waterway routes are much nicer. Witt de witt has been there forever and I used to go there a lot for the hash but unfortunately being refurbished so buy and go so I didn't buy but went round the corner to 4 floors and restocked my dwindling haze supply with silver super, and thats good. I visit boijmans von beuningen museum if I get a chance in Rotterdam, and I did today. Its an amazing art gallery, the architecture, the exhibits and they do a nice lunch and I was peckish so sorted. Spent a couple of quite trippy hours there, it has some far out works and installations. But I had to ride back so a quick visit this time. Also they have some masters, Bruegel, Bosch, Reubens and Rembrandt so proper kultur.
The ride went quite well for me I did have a fair wind and a following sea going there, but wind forrard of the beam coming back. I didnt quite have to tack but definitely close hauled. (the wind was in my face and it was knackering)but I did have the silver haze that got me back here good. After a rest and recuperate and eating I went for a little stroll round town and discovered there's a carnival happening in the main square with entertainment still going when I left at 11pm. But I wanted to catch up to date with this, hope someones still with me, and with some critical and an hour on the balcony I think I've done that.
I've taken loads of pics and sent a few to the team to do a bit of illustration but intend to edit some more in when I'm home. I think the biking is easier than writing on a phone one fingered, painful. But it's all in a good cause. Dont forget
I think I'm doing better than me bike, broke bell day one, puncture yesterday and today I managed to snap the stand. Me I'm truckin.

[spidergawd]

well it's 9.30 on a sunny Sunday morning in Delft, I'm breakfasted, so what to do today? I really did intend to take me and my bike up on the train closer to Amsterdam and check out the 2 new coffeeshops mentioned in another thread but, as no takers for the proposed t&t and my body is saying "look buddy dont push me, ok we're doing pretty good so far and enjoying the trip". Also I'll diminish my stash through the day and stay local, and enjoy the local festivities happening here this weekend.
The coffeeshops that I've noticed here are very discrete, you really have to look for them, two I saw were f&b but I'll have a closer look later. Must go now Lady Sativa is giving me a kick.

[Willjay]

Robyn and I enjoyed Delft on our previous visits, and look forward to stopping there again munch interest in the coffee shops

[spidergawd]

in one at the mo Will, called The Game on Breestraat, theres 2 of the same name. This one is a local as they probably all are, a pleasant and friendly shop, older clientele at this time of day, I fit right in in fact I've still raised the age profile for this evening, but not too much. Amnezia 12euros lovely smell, excellent.

[spidergawd]

Today (Sunday), with the good weather and fantastic street entertainment has been brilliant. The Market square and surrounding lanes were alive with street theatre and performance art of every kind, much of it very amusing and some quite arty, all catered for a really nice vibe. So this morning after breakfast I went for a pleasant sunday stroll round and through the town while it was still waking up and some of the equipment for the days happening was being set up, loved that.
I've got a good room in the hotel so I do spend the occasional hour or so sitting out getting royally stoned, but as it's mostly fast herbs in the vaper I'm soon out and about again. If only to get food, good appetite going.
Anyway I did do a ride today of about 15 kms as I'm not sure about tomorrow riding back to the ferry, the wind is forecast to be 20knts from the west and that's right where I'm going so I wanted to get my mileage over 100kms which I have done. In case I get the train . And quite honestly I'm just running on weed and my sponsors generosity at this point. I really do understand the meaning of exhaustion now, and I've lead a pretty strenuous working life, done a few long distance bike rides too but physically this is something else.for me, but I feel pretty good and I know 100kms over 4 days is not a lot but with the effort going into the live travelogue, tiny keyboard and all taken into account, I hope some of you might click the link and support my cause cos thats what it's all about.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1286677891348909/

https://www.youcaring.com/chios-refugee-aid-541259

[spidergawd]

I finished today off with a nice piece of Plaice and a beer at a market square fish restaurant in the evening sun, watching the last performers finishing up and packing their stuff. Decided to have a look at cs The Room and thought it was ok, nice vibe. You're right Jess I think you said before, the south of Holland is Bubblegum country. But I'm sticking to the hazes.

This is a strange trip